Shock-absorber for vehicles.



F. G. KOEHLER. SHOCK ABSORBER FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1907.

944,674. Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

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FQZZ6%Z677 BY 4 v 7% W ATTY P. G. KOEHLER. SHOCK ABSORBER FOR VEHICLES.APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1907.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

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struction, hence UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK G. KOEHLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SHOCK-ABSORBER FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed July 18, 1907.

Patented Dec. .28, 1909. Serial No. 384,384.

To all whom 2t may concern:

Be it known that- I, FRANK G. KoEnLnR, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing of Missouri, have invented certain'new and usefulImprovements in Shock-Absorbers for Vehicles, Of \\'l1lCll the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, formin art of this specification.

invention relates to a new and useful improvement in shock absorbers formotor or other vehicles, and has for its object to produce a device ofthis character which will be adequately resilient, simple in conunlikelyto become out of order, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Figure I is a side elevation ofa vehicle running gear with myimprovement applied thereto. I ig. II is a plan view of the parts shownin Fig. side elevation of one end of a vehicle runat. the city of St.Louis, in the State Y I. Fi III is an enlarged I i 4 l inng gear, and asection of my improvement. Fig. IV is a vertical section taken on theline IV-IV, Fig. III. Fig. V is a horizontal section taken on line VV,Fig. III. Fig. VI is a. side elevation of one end of a vehicle runninggear with a modified 1 form of my improvement applied thereto.

A designates the main frame and B the axles of a vehicle running gearwhich running gear, as is common, includes two axles and four wheels,but. in the following I will confine my description to but one axle andthe associated parts which go to make up my invention.

l. designates a semi-elliptiespring fastened to the main frame of thevehicle and 2 and)? bell crank levers pivotally connected by suitablemeans to the axle, such as by attaclnnent t0 shackles or brackets 3secured'to the axle. Each bell crank lever 22 comprises a mainhorizontal arm that has connection at its outer end with the mam springor vehicle frame carried member 1 and a vertical arm, the vertical armof each lever being the member of the lever through r as load carryingmember, while the weaker take-up springs serve to prevent sudden reboundof the bell crank levers after the cushion spring has been compressedupon downward movemcnt of the main arms of the bell crank levers. Thecushion spring 8 is caused to perform its ottice in connection with thebell crank levers to preventshock to the vehicle frame in which my shockabsorber is used by reason of the main arms of the bell crank-leversbeing connected to the vehicle frame in a suitable as that to behereinafter set forth.

I will next proceed toa description of the parts of my shock absorberinterposed between the main spring or frame carried member I and themain arms of the bell crank levers 22.

4- designatcs pneumatic springs or cushioning devices that areinterposed between the outer ends of the main horizontal .arms of thebell crank levers and the main springs or frame carried members i. Thepneumatic cushioning devices at, of which there are two to each mainspring 1, are analogous; hence I will describe in detail but one of themwhich consists of an upper plate 8 provided with perforated cars or lugst) to which is pivotallv connected one end of the main spring I. Thisupper plate 8' is provided with an integral. centrally arranged,depending portion 5) having a cylindrical-iv shaped lower end 10, saidupper plate 8 and its members 9' and t0 beii'ig provided with avertically arranged bore it for a purpose about to be described.

12 dc ignates a lower plate having an upwardly extending portion t3.and. adepending, semi-spherical portion t l. said up wardly extendingportion 13 being provided with a ovlindrical bore. to which receives thec \'liin'lric:il portion 10 of the upper plate Hi. The .cltmcllts 1;.t3. and It. are also provided with a vertically arranged bore it) whichis in a'linemcnt with tho'boro .ll of the upper plate 3.

1T designates a bolt which passes through the bores 11 and lo andthrough an orifice 17 formed in the outer end of the lever 2'. Thisorifice. II lower,senii-sphcrical recess I18 and 19 respectively, said:"nni-spherical rcccsscs being connected b a conicall \'-sha1 ed bore20, the recesses: 18 rccciving the semi-spherical pornianner, such i isformed by upper and bolt 17.

22 indicates a cup shaped washer which is arranged upon the lower end ofthe bolt 17, and is adjustably held thereon by means of a nut 23, andarranged between this washer and the washers 21 is a take-up sprin 24 19that serves to prevent sudden rebound of the parts located between themain spring and the lever 2.

25 designates an expansible coiled spring which is interposed betweenthe plates 8 and 12 and surrounds their respective portions 9 and 13.The oflice of this sprin is to provide a guard for a pneumatic cus ion,to be hereinafter described, which surrounds it, so that the flexiblewalls of said pneumatic 2o cushion will not become impinged between andmutilated by the shoulders of the extensions 9 and 13 of the plates 8and 12, respectively. which act as stops in the event of collapse of thepneumatic-cushion. Y 26 designates a pneumatic cushion, or spring, offlexible material which surrounds the coiled springs and is locatedbetween the plates 8 and 12. I prefer to make the plates 8 and 12 andthe pneumatic cushion 30 approximately of elliptic shape, and to arrangethem upon the vehicle that their longest dimensions are longitudinallydisposed relative to the vehicle in order that the desired resiliencymay be obtained without takin up too much room laterally of the vehicIe.4

In Fig. VI'of the drawin s I have shown a slightly modified form 0 theinvention, wherein I have dispensed with the use of Cit 40 thesemi-elliptic springs and have connected the upper end of the pneumaticcushions 4 directly to the frame of the vehicle by means of brackets 27.This structure may be effectively utilized in the lighter type ofvehicles.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a vehicle frame .and an axle, of a shockabsorber comprising a pair of bell crank levers, each having an innerarm pivotally connected to and deending from said axle and an armextending laterally from the lower end of the inner arm and pivotallyconnected to said vehicle frame, and a compression spring locatedbetween said inner arm-s.

2. The combination of an axle, a pair of bell crank levers having innerand outer arms, means mounted upon the axle and pivotally connected tosaid inner arms, and

springs located between and on each side of the elbows of said bellcrank levers.

3. The combination of an axle, a air of bell crank levers having inneran outer arms, means mounted upon the axle and U5 pivotally connected tosaid inner arms, a

bolt passing through said-inner arms, and springs mounted upon the boltbetween and on each side of the elbows of said bell crank levers.

4. In a shock absorber for vehicles, the '7 combination of a body, anaxle, a pair of bell crank levers having pivotal connection to the underside of the axle, a connection between the outer ends of the levers andthe vehicle body, a compression spring located between the elbows of thelevers, take-up springs located outside of the elbows of the 'levers,and a rod passing through said springs and through the elbows of thelevers and having nuts on its outer ends, substanso tially as set forth.

5. In a vehicle the combination with an axle and frame, of a pairoflevers pivotally supported by said axle, resilient means interposedbetween said levers, pneumatic 35 means carried by the free ends of saidlevers, and means for connecting said neumatic means to said frame,substantia lyas described.

6. In a vehicle the combination with an axle and frame, of leverspivotally supported by said axle, resilient means interposed betweensaid levers, coiled springs carried by the free ends of said levers, andmeans connecting said coiled springs to said frame, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a vehicle the combination with an axleand frame, of leverspivotally supported by said axle, resilient means interposed betweensaid levers, coiled springs and pneumatic cushions carried b the freeends of said levers, and means or connecting said coiled. springs andpneumatic cushions to said frame, substantially. as described. 8. In avehicle the combination with an axle and frame, of levers pivotallysupported by said axle, resilient means interposed between said levers,a plate having a universal j'oint connection with, and carried by thefree end of, said levers, resilient means carried by. said plate, andmeans connecting said resilient means to said frame, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a vehicle the combination with an axle and frame," of leverspivotally connected to said axle, resilient means interposed betweensaid levers, telescopic memers carried by the free ends of said levers,resilient means interposed between said telescopic members, one of saidtelescopic members having a universal joint connection to the free endsof-said levers, and the other of said telescopic members having meansfor connecting it to said frame, substantially as described.

10. In a vehicle the combination with an axle and frame, of leverspivotally connected to said axle, a spring lIltGIPOSEdbG- tween saidlevers, springs coperating with said levers to exert a pressure in anopposite 130 direction to that of the first mentioned 1 spring,resilient means carried by'the free ends of said levers, and means forconnecting said resilient means to said frame, substantially asdescribed.

11. .In a vehicle the combination with an axle and frame, of leverspivotally connected to said axle, resilient means cooperatwith saidlevers near their fulcrum points, telesco io means carried by the freeends of said evers, one of said telescopic members having a loose jointconnection with said levers, means connecting the other of saidtelescopic members to said free ends .pf said levers, washersi frame,resilient means inter osed between sald telesco 1c members, olts passingthrough sal telescopic member nd the ried by said bolts and arrange freeends ofiseid levers, a second ivjaslier' carried by each bolt andsprings interposed between said wt: iers, substantially as described.

' FRANK G. KOEHLER.

